scuba diving

An introduction to scuba diving

Scuba History

Over 70 percent of the world is covered in water, and natural human curiosity dictates that places like under the ocean need to be explored to see what is down there. Sadly, humans have a drawback when it comes to exploring under the sea, they cannot breath underwater.
Many different methods have been used by humanity to explore under the sea, including snorkeling, diving bells and holding their breath.

Thankfully, the exploration of what lies beneath the ocean took a huge step forward in the 1930s when the first self-contained underwater breathing apparatuses came into being. Of course, as with any early invention, the first types of scuba gear were poorly made and difficult to use.
Again, as with any new device, it took a few more people to build on it and make it so that the public would actually want to try it out.

That fell to Jacques Cousteau and Emile Gagnan, who created the aqua lung, which is a device that uses pressure valves to deliver pressurized air only when the diver breaths in. They began their work in 1942, completing it in 1946. Over the course of the next two decades, more improvements were made and by the 1960s, scuba diving was beginning to take off among the populace.

It was in 1960 that the National Association of Underwater Instructors was formed, providing teachers to all those people who wanted to try out the new sport of scuba diving. In 1967, another organization for instructors came into being, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors.
As the years went by and the 1960s turned into the 1970s, the sport of scuba diving, and the equipment itself, continued to improve. New buoyancy compensation vests, better valves and submersible pressure gauges made the sport easier and safer for individuals to take part in.

By the 1990s, scuba diving had become a multi-billion dollar industry, with constant improvements being done to the equipment.
Far from being an elite activity, scuba diving has become accessible to everyone; with only a bit of money needed to buy the equipment. However, though rental companies, anyone who lives or travels to the ocean can take a journey under the sea and begin a scuba diving adventure.

Scuba Diving Equipment

Typically, the equipment used in scuba diving weighs between 60 and 75 pounds, however due to the buoyancy of water; this weight feels to be much less when you are in the water. Thermal protection, like wet or dry suits, will often be worn to keep the body warm. Wet suits keep a thin layer of water between the rubber of the suit and the diver’s body, which the body warms. Dry suits, in contrast, are double-walled to keep an insulting area between the layers to keep the diver warm and dry.
Buoyancy control devices are also worn by divers to control their depth at pre-determined levels. The device consists of a rubber bladder that can be inflated or deflated with low-pressure air either by a regulator or through the mouth via an inflation tube.

The actual scuba tank is made up of 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen, contained in a cylinder on the diver’s back. The tank is made of aluminum and holds 3,000 pounds per square inch. Divers cannot breath out of the tank directly, so they use a regulator which reduces the pressure from 3,000 psi to 140 psi. Then, it reduces the pressure by sending the air through a hose to the diver’s mouth.

Additionally, the diver can carry pony tanks, which are small cylinders that attach to the main cylinder, which are used in emergency situations. There can also be a spare air unit attached that will give you enough air to ascend from a shallow depth. This device is very lightweight and can be carried in a pocket. Lastly, divers will carry a snorkel sometimes, which they can attach to their mask. This will eliminate the need to use air from the tank when they are swimming near the surface.

Scuba diving and exploring the ocean has been described in terms of visiting another planet, so it is no surprise that scuba diving is becoming so popular around the world, as more and more would-be explorers travel to a brave new world, via scuba diving.